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Thursday, October 17, 2013

"From The Hazel to the Blackthorn: Using Traditional Woods to Craft Magical Tools"

The following is a transcript of a presentation I gave on October 6th at Stone and Stang in California. It concerns the various magical properties of woods and their use in making magical tools. I wish I had an audio recording of the event, because I went "off script" for some time and got to answer some really amazing questions. However, this is a good starting point and I will post links at the end where you can learn more about magical woods.

"Hello everyone. My talk today will be
about the lore and magical properties of certain traditional trees, and their
use in the crafting of magical tools. Before we start, I’d like to share a bit
about my background. I’m an initiate of the Unnamed Path and am currently
finishing up the Student Teacher program. I am also a recent initiate into
Gardnerian Witchcraft. For several years now my main area of study has been in
the realm of trees and woods, and this has only intensified since I moved to
the Pacific Northwest last year.

So, magical tools. Why do we use magical tools? Obviously, to
enhance our magic and as a focus for our willpower. My question to you is, are
such items “just” tools, just props for our own mental powers and magical
skills, or do they impart a magical power of their own to our work quite apart
from anything we might contribute. My own view is that magical tools,
especially those composed of wood, contain a power of their own coming from the
spirit of that particular wood and the tree it came from. I’m personally an
animist; that is, I believe that everything on Earth has an indwelling spirit.
It’s by becoming familiar with, and working with that spirit, that we create
magic. Said spirit is what differentiates a magically crafted tool from an
inert object like a table leg or a couch.

The main tools I personally work with are the Wand, the Staff, the
Stang, the pendulum, and the pentacle. All of these items in my work are made
of wood and all have a long history of use in magic. Wands thousands of years
old have been found in the grave of Egyptian priests and Scandinavian
sorceresses. The pendulum has a long history of use in divination, and the
Stang (a forked stick used as an altar) appears in Medieval woodcuts depicting
Witches in flight. The staff, like the wand, acts as both a tool to project
magical power and as a practical aid when tramping through the woods. Old
magical textbooks such as the Key of Solomon contain detailed instructions for
the making of magical tools, including rituals to be performed at every step
and the planetary days and hours in which one should work.

While every tree has a spirit of a kind, some trees, because of
their prominence in Western Europe folklore and myth, are most frequently used
for magic. I will be discussing the most common of these and will be passing
around samples of some of the trees mentioned so that you can get an idea of
how you resonate with that particular wood.

The first tree I would like to discuss is the Hazel tree. The Hazel
tree is ruled by water and is known as the tree of divination, prophecy, and
wisdom. The Hazel tree is the tree most often used for the construction of
magical wands and staffs, and is the wood recommended frequently in grimoires
such as the Key of Solomon for the construction of the magic wand. In Germanic
lore we learn about the Hazelwurm, a cosmic serpent that circles the glob and
is an embodiment of the power of the Earth. Because of this association, Hazel
is a good choice for shamanic work and wands dealing with the gathering and
moving about of Earth energies. There is also an element of command to the
Hazel wood; in older times kings and chieftans would carry a wand of Hazel wood
as a symbol of office. The Hazel wand is best gathered under a waxing Moon and
in the day and hour of Mercury. If you’ll look at your handouts, you will see
an image that can hopefully help you identify the Hazel tree when you come
across it. The Hazel tends to grow as a large shrub but can reach the size of a
small tree with age. The leaves are green and serrated, similar to birch. In
the spring the Hazel is covered in small fuzzy catkins, and in the autumn the
tree produces tasty Hazel nuts. The bark
of the Hazel ranges from a muddy brown to a beautiful silver colour. The Hazel
tree tends to grow in watery or dank places, and for this reason the Hazel is
considered the ideal wood to be used for divining for water.

Moving on, we come to the Rowan tree, which is ruled by Earth. The
Rowan is known as one of the most magical and enchanted trees known to man, and
is famous for its ability to protect those bearing the wood from malevolent
magic and witchcraft. The Rowan is a border tree, or a tree that stands with a
foot in both the mundane world and the magical Otherworld. An old Scottish poem
states, “Rowan tree and red thread, put all warlocks to their speed.” This
refers to the making of small crosses from Rowan wood bound with red thread.
These are still in use today and can be seen hanging in the home of many Traditional
Witches. As a side note, any tree bearing the colours of red and green
together, such as the Rowan, can be considered especially magical because red
is the colour of blood and magic, and green is the colour of the Fae and Earth
energy. People sometimes ask, how can the Rowan be used both for making magical
wands AND for protecting against magic? Well, the reason the Rowan is
protective is because of its status as a border tree; this can interrupt
incoming energy. If you can harness that borderline power, however, you can use
the Rowan for magical ends. Rowan wood makes an ideal wood for wands and
staffs, and is especially good at enhancing psychic powers and divining for
metals. The Rowan tree has symmetrical leaves and brown, somewhat ripply bark. In
general they are small trees, though I have seen some pushing 25 feet. In the
late summer and early autumn the Rowan is covered in red, edible berries that
also have protective powers. Please look at your handout for a visual of the
Rowan tree.

We now move on to one of my favourite trees, the Hawthorn tree. The
Hawthorn tree is ruled by Fire and is another Faery tree marked by its red and
green colours. The Hawthorn is a tree with two faces. In the springtime the
tere is covered in beautiful white flowers and is associated with love,
fertility, and sexuality. On May Day, traditionally, Hawthorn boughs were used
to dress the altar or at a wedding. However, in the winter time the Hawthorn
has quite a different face. Devoid of its leaves and flowers, the sharp thorns
that give the tree its name are much more prominent. This side of the Hawthorn
is associated with protection, wisdom, and the learning of Witchcraft and
magic. Some say that the Hawthorn is like the wise old Grandmother of trees. As
a hedge tree, we can use it to “cross over” from the mundane into the magical
and come back with new wisdom. The wood of the Hawthorn can be used in magic
for protection, love, fertility, blasting, and works having to do with spirit
contact. The Hawthorn is the sister tree to the Blackthorn, and is the Light
Half to the Dark Half. The Hawthorn tends to be, again, a rather shrubby tree
though it can reach up to 30 feet in some cases. The wood is a grayish brown
with vertical ridges, and the leaves are lobed and shiny green. The branches
are covered in large, sharp thorns and in the autumn the tree bears red berries
that can be eaten.

The next tree we will look at is the Elder tree. The Elder is a tree
of Water and in folklore was believed to be the home of the Elder Mother, a
powerful tree spirit. The Elder Mother probably began as a Goddess, but after
the coming of Christianity was turned by the church into an evil spirit and the
tree, once venerated, gained a dark and frightening reputation. The Elder tree
is used in magic for powerful exorcisms, banishing, and the removal of
sickness. Harvesting of the wood must be done very carefully, and the wood
should NEVER be burned. Traditionally one says a prayer to the Elder Mother
while taking a cutting. The Elder tree tends to be a smallish, crooked tree
with characteristic green-brown bark covered in little “eyes.” The branches are
filled with a soft pith that can be easily removed, making this an idea wood to
use for wands with crystals or center inserts. In the autumn the Elder tree is
covered with blue, red, or purple Elderberries that can be made into wine or
jelly, but the wood and leaves are poisonous and should not be consumed.

The Ash tree is our next tree and is ruled by both Air and Water.
The Ash tree is a healing tree commonly associated with shamanic flights and
the ability to see all three worlds, lower, middle, and upper. For this reason
the Ash tree is the most common wood used for the Stang, the staff, and the
handle of the Witch’s broom. The Ash tree is a common tree used for its
shade-giving prophecies and the fact that its wood is very hard. Ancient wands
made from spiral Ash gave been discovered. The Ash is probably the best wood
behind Hazel to be used for the all-purpose magic wand. The leaves of the Ash tree
are long, shiny green, and symmetrical and the bark of the Ash tree is an ashy
grey.

Our next tree is the Alder tree. The Alder tree is the tree of the
dead and is ruled by water. The Alder is sometimes known as the “witch’s tree”
because it bleeds red sap when cut, and this was thought to be the blood of an
indwelling spirit or witch. In ancient times wands made from Alder were used to
measure the bodies of the dead, and it was believed that the wet and marshy
Alder groves were the gateway to Hel (that is, the realm of the Goddess Hel,
who ruled over the land of the dead.)
The Alder wood is best used for necromancy and the gathering of dark and
forbidden knowledge, and is the wood of All Hallows or Samhain. Alder grows in
wet, boggy places and has grey bark and large, birch-like leaves. The wood of
the Alder is pale and streaked with red.

Finally, the Blackthorn. The Blackthorn tree is ruled by fire and in
folklore was known as the Mother of Trees, or the first tree. The Blackthorn
has a strange, somewhat sinister reputation and in the past (and in the
present) was the wood used for the fearsome Witch’s Blasting Rod. This was a
rod or cane made from Blackthorn that was used by a Witch to send forth
powerful curses or spells. The Blackthorn is a dark, strange looking tree and
is covered in large, sharp, dangerous thorns that can cause a nasty infection
if they pierce your skin. These thorns have often been used to pierce poppets
for malevolent purposes. The Blackthorn rules over the dark half of the year, as
compared to the Hawthorn’s light half. Having said that, the Blackthorn also
has positive uses. It can be used to make a washing wand, and the beautiful
springtime Blackthorn blossoms have
associations with springtime and luck. However, in general the Blackthorn is
best reserved for use by an experienced occultist as its energy can be very
dark and brooding. The fruit of the Blackthorn is a small plum known as a sloe;
these are used to make sloe gin. If you’ll look at your handout, you can see a
picture of the Blackthorn’s fruit and flowers.

I encourage
everybody to go home and look for these trees around you. Seek them out, get to
know them, and form relationships with the spirits therein to see what you can
offer each other. You may not form alliances with every tree, and what works
for you will depend on where you live. When I lived down South I could not get
Hazel to work well for me, but now that I live in the Pacific Northwest, where
it grows in abundance, it’s now my go-to wood. I also encourage you to learn
more about the unique woods and trees that live in your surroundings and the folklore
that surrounds them. Please feel free to ask me any questions, and I can also
share some links and resources with you that can provide a deeper look at the
folklore and magical properties of the trees we have discussed today."